Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be in Brussels today to participate in the work of the Eastern Partnership Summit on December 15 and the European Council meeting on December 16.

The participants will focus on the EU’s cooperation with its eastern neighbours at the 6th Eastern Partnership Summit, which will be attended by EU leaders and the heads of five of the six Eastern Partnership partners (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus). Belarus was not invited, as it has withdrawn from the group.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis will express Greece’s support for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Eastern Partnership states.

According to government sources, the PM will emphasise the significance of their alignment with decisions and statements of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, especially those concerning the sovereignty, territorial integrity and sovereign rights of its member states.

The Prime Minister is also expected to brief his colleagues about his recent meeting in Sochi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and will stress that all sides must work for de-escalation, as no one will emerge victorious from a conflict.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister will attend the European Council Summit and the dinner of the leaders of the eurozone countries.

The Covid pandemic, the “omicron” mutation and vaccinations, will be on the agenda of the Summit, as well as the issue of rising energy prices across Europe. The situation in Ukraine, the Immigration Service, will also be presented to the 27 on the occasion of the developments on the border with Belarus and the message for horizontal measures against those who use the Immigration Service.

The leaders will also have the first exchange of views on the new EU strategic doctrine, based on the “strategic compass”, the document submitted for discussion by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.